Written questions by Mayer.

What her planned timetable is for updating her Department's guidance entitled Public Sector Equality Duty: guidance for public authorities, last updated on 18 December 2023.

The government will uphold the Public Sector Equality Duty and ensure that all parties exercising public functions comply with its provisions. This includes ensuring effective guidance for these parties and updating it as the need arises.

Whether her Department issues guidance to local authorities on running good-quality bus stops.

The Department for Transport has published Local Transport Note (LTN) 1/24 Bus User Priority which provides guidance on good practice in the design of bus stops. The Department has also published guidance to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) and bus operators on developing Bus Service Improvement Plans. This guidance encourages all LTAs to set priorities for improving their bus stops, stations and interchanges. On 17th December 2024, the Government introduced a new Bus Services Bill that will give local leaders the freedom to take decisions to deliver their local transport priorities and ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them. The Bill will provide powers for the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidance on the inclusivity of the design of bus and coach stations and stops, and to require authorities commissioning work to provide new or upgrade existing facilities to have due regard to this guidance.

Which areas has her Department provided additional funding for to develop Mobility as a Service apps; and what the potential cost to the public purse is of this work.

The Transport Innovation Grants (TRIG) programme, which funds proof of concept projects to either fail fast or uncover early promise across the whole transport technology spectrum, has given funding of a total value of £289k to projects related to Mobility as a Service apps since 2024. Local authorities receive various other streams of non-ringfenced funding which they have chosen to spend on MaaS projects, for example as part of the Future Transport Zones programme.

If she will make an assessment of trends in the level of violent crime during heatwaves in 2024.

There is a wide body of academic research pointing to associations between short-term increased temperatures and violent crime, but the Home Office has no plans to conduct any future specific research in this area in relation to heatwaves in 2024.

What steps his Department is taking to support the cold chain sector with (a) resilience and (b) preparedness for potential disruption as a result of (i) heat waves, (ii) power loss and (iii) cyberattack.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) works with other departments and industry to proactively mitigate the risks and impacts of unplanned power outages, cyber-attacks, and severe weather events like heatwaves, through ongoing horizon-scanning, data sharing, and business engagement.As part of the next UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), Government departments are inputting into an assessment of the resilience of the cold chain sector to rising temperatures and heatwaves. The assessment will identify cold chain vulnerabilities to heatwaves, explore adaptation responses, and develop an effective adaptation plan through to 2050. The outputs will be included in the next CCRA, to be published in 2027.

What his planned timetable is for recruiting 8,500 additional mental health workers.

As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce waiting times and provide faster treatment.We recognise that bringing in the staff needed will take time. The decision for the timetable of recruiting the 8,500 additional mental health workers is still ongoing. We are working with NHS England on options to deliver this expansion of the mental health workforce.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of funding for British Transport Police.

The British Transport Police’s (BTP) budget is set by the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA). It is the executive non-departmental public body that oversees the Force and is their employer. BTPA sets the BTP’s budget annually following proposals from the Force and views from industry. Set against a backdrop of wider public sector efficiencies and affordability by the rail industry it has agreed a budget increase for the financial year 2025/26 of 5.9%.The cost of policing the rail network in Great Britain is primarily covered through the funding agreements that the British Transport Police Authority holds with Network Rail, the rail operators and Transport for London.The Department can, under some limited specific circumstances, support the BTP with additional grant funding such as for additional policing during periods of civil unrest.

What recent steps his Department is taking to improve the availability of (a) eye clinic appointments and (b) hospital eye services.

The Government is committed to putting patients first. This means making sure that patients are seen on time and have the best possible experience during their care. As of October 2024, the waiting list for ophthalmology services stands at just over 593,000. 66.1% of these involved treatment within 18 weeks.This is not good enough, and we have committed to getting back to the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should be seen within 18 weeks of referral, by the end of this Parliament, across all specialities. Funding announced in the Autumn Budget will support delivery of an additional 2 million operations, scans, and appointments during our first year in Government, which is equivalent to 40,000 per week, as a first step towards achieving this.NHS England is also testing how improved IT connectivity between primary care optometry and secondary eye care services could improve the referral process and allow for the virtual triage of patients. This also includes looking at whether patients can be managed in the community, freeing up hospital eye clinic capacity for patients that need face to face specialist input.

What steps her Department is taking to help tackle changes in average bus speeds.

The government is committed to working with local transport authorities and the bus sector to deliver better, more reliable services for passengers. At the Budget, the government confirmed over £1 billion in funding to improve bus services, protect vital routes and keep fares down. This includes over £700 million allocated to local councils to deliver bus service improvement plans (BSIPs). Councils can use the funding in whichever way they wish to improve bus services for all passengers, including investing in infrastructure or bus priority schemes to help reduce journey times. We introduced the Bus Services Bill on 17 December, which will give local leaders the powers they need and the freedom to take decisions to deliver their local transport priorities and ensure networks meet the needs of the communities who rely on them.

If her Department will publish guidance on the process for establishing passenger transport executives.

The Department has no current plans to publish guidance on establishing a new Passenger Transport Executive. Setting up a new Passenger Transport Executive to coordinate local transport in its area would require amendments to legislation. Local and Combined Authorities already have a number of coordinating powers and functions in relation to transport. The English Devolution White Paper (December 2024) set out Government’s plans to provide additional transport powers and responsibilities to Local and Combined Authorities.

How many (a) mental health and (b) dementia related hospital admissions took place during heatwaves in 2024.

The information is not held in the format requested.

What data her Department holds on how many and what proportion of buses have onboard connections for electronic devices in England.

As of March 2024, there were 29,790 buses used by local bus operators in England. Around 28% of these buses, approximately 8,300, were equipped with charging points.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2024 to Question 6923 on Euston Station: Passengers, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of progress in the implementation of crowd management improvements to Euston station required by the Office of Road and Rail.

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) closed its Improvement Notice served in respect of crowd management at Euston last year - on 15 December 2023.As the duty holder, Network Rail is accountable for meeting health and safety and other legal responsibilities at Euston and the ORR is responsible for monitoring compliance.The Department recognises the need for urgent improvements to passenger experience at Euston and welcomes the improvements Network Rail is making under its five-point plan announced on 4 October.

How much funding her Department provided for retrofitting buses to reduce emissions under (a) the Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme and (b) other relevant schemes in 2024.

Since 2017, the Government allocated approximately £100m toward the retrofitting of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology. The Government has not provided any funding for the retrofitting of SCR technology in 2024.

How many hours of teaching were lost as a result of (a) extreme heat and (b) flooding in 2024.

From the start of the 2024/25 academic year, schools have had a duty to provide daily attendance data to the department. Attendance data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools.The department does not specifically collect data on teaching hours lost due to extreme heat and flooding.It is for individual settings and responsible bodies to determine their approach to closure based on their own risk assessment. Closures should be considered a last resort and the imperative is for settings to remain open, where it is safe to do so.Where a school was planning to be open for a session, but then has to close unexpectedly, for example, due to adverse weather, the attendance register is not taken as usual because there is no session. For statistical purposes this is counted as a not possible attendance.Where settings are temporarily closed they should consider providing remote education for the duration of the closure in line with the department’s guidance. Providing remote education does not change the imperative to remain open or to reopen as soon as possible. As set out in the department’s guidance on providing remote education, pupils who are absent from school and receiving remote education still need to be recorded as absent using the most appropriate absence code. Schools should keep a record of, and monitor, pupil’s engagement with remote education, but this is not formally tracked in the attendance register. The guidance on providing remote education is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/providing-remote-education-guidance-for-schools/providing-remote-education-guidance-for-schools.

If he will make an estimate of the number of working hours lost as a result of (a) extreme heat and (b) flooding in 2024.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon. Lady’s Parliamentary Question of 16 December is attached.

Whether there will be a minimum service requirement for broadband on train services under Great British Railways.

There have been no discussions around the minimum levels of service for wifi or broadband on trains under Great British Railways. However, officials are looking more widely into different solutions to improve passenger connectivity, such as a low earth orbit satellite and neutral host solutions to improve connectivity via Network Rail’s ‘Project Reach’.

How many DVSA delegated driving examiner training slots are scheduled for 2025.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is committed to the delegated examiner scheme and recognise the flexibility this provides with regards to heavy goods vehicles, passenger carrying vehicles and the emergency services in managing the availability of suitably qualified drivers. DVSA are currently not able to provide plans for delegated training in 2025. DVSA are continuing to develop a training schedule for organisations who require delegated examiners. This approach will need to balance all of the demands on DVSA’s training resource.

What the average waiting time was in weeks for a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence part 3b test in (a) England, (b) Central Bedfordshire and (c) each driving centre in November (i) 2024 and (ii) 2023.

The average waiting time in weeks, in November 2024 and November 2023, for a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) part 3b test, at test centres in England, and all other test centres, is contained within the attached document. The table below shows the average waiting time in weeks for November 2024 and November 2023, at Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road) test centre, which serves Central Bedfordshire. Average waiting time November 2024Average waiting time November 2023Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road)2.51.5

What discussions she has had with car manufacturers on progress towards achieving the zero emission vehicle mandate for cars by 2030.

My Ministerial colleagues across Government and I meet regularly with vehicle manufacturers to discuss a wide range of issues including the transition to zero emission vehicles. We are working closely with the sector to ensure that British industry benefits from the opportunities of net zero, and a consultation on the Government’s proposals for restoring the phase out dates for new cars that rely purely on internal combustion engines will be published in due course.